According to the website, just heat up your grill, place the Yoshi Copper Mat on the grilling surface, and you’re set to cook. They’re reusable and reversible, food slides right off (PFOA-free!), and they can be cut to any size or shape, making them perfect for burgers, hot dogs, fish, chicken, and vegetables.

Important note: While the commercial claims that Yoshi works with gas, charcoal, and electric grills, keep in mind that it can only be used away from an open flame and only up to 500°.

Then, when you’re finished, Yoshi Copper Grill Mat claims to make cleanup a snap by throwing it in the dishwasher or rinsing it off with soap and water.

You’re here because you want to know if the Yoshi Copper Grill Mat is everything the commercial and website claim. How does it compare to other grill mats? Is it more deserving of your money? Does its embedded copper make a difference?

To kick things off, let’s start by taking a look at how these products work.

How Do Grill Mats Work?

Whether from Yoshi or another brand, grill mats are basically just sheets of some flexible, heat-resistant material—often fiberglass fabric—that’s coated in PTFE, also known as polytetrafluoroethylene. The atoms in this low-friction chemical aren’t very good at sticking to other things, which tend to slide right off.

This fabric also conducts heat, which allows it to work as a cooking surface. The heat from the grates even transfers through the mat and leaves grill marks, while allowing you to add sauces and cook veggies without falling through the grates.

But is it even safe to use these grill mats in the first place?

Is PFOA Bad For You?

The PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) referenced on the Yoshi Copper Grill Mat website is a chemical used in the process of making PTFE, which the FDA classified as a “likely human carcinogen” in 2006.

However, in Is Teflon Safe?, we learned from professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the two-part book series What Einstein Told His Cook, Robert Wolke, that, “There is no PFOA in the final Teflon product, so there is no risk that it will cause cancer in those who use Teflon cookware.”

Still, you’ll find that many manufacturers boast their nonstick cookware is PFOA-free, when the reality it that this applies to all products in the class.

Important note: PTFE will still disintegrate at 500°, however, and the resultant fumes can cause flu-like symptoms in people and kill birds. This is why the manufacturer states that Yoshi can’t be heated to higher than this.

Also, they emphasize that Yoshi Copper Grill Mat can’t be used on an open flame, so it might be ideal for charcoal grills (as well as wood ones, as long as only hot embers exist).

What will you pay for this added convenience?

How Much Does Yoshi Copper Grill Mat Cost?

Two Yoshi Copper Grill Mats and one Yoshi Copper Bake Mat (allows you to bake a cake and keep the pan clean) are priced at $19.99.

Technically, these come with free shipping, although you’ll be required to pay an additional $3.99 fee for your “special bonus” Grip N’ Flip Spatula. This brings your total to $23.98.

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Money-saving tip: We also found the Yoshi Copper Grill and Bake Mat set sold through Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond for less during our research.

If purchased directly through Idea Village, Yoshi’s Copper Grill Mat set comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, less S&H. In order to process one, customer service can be reached at 877-884-2826.

Now, does the Yoshi Copper Grill Mat have any direct competition?

Yoshi Copper Grill Mat vs. the Original Yoshi Grill and Bake

If you’re searching for a copper-infused grill mat, the Yoshi version is currently your only option.

However, if you’re looking for a standard grilling mat, Yoshi has some competition—including the original Yoshi Grill and Bake Mat. How does this new Copper version compare?

First, it’s important to point out that the original Yoshi Mat wasn’t sold by the manufacturer at the time of our research, so you can’t currently purchase one. In other words, the Copper version appears to have replaced it.

But comparing our article about the original to the Copper Grill Mat website, it appears the only difference is the inclusion of copper in the latter. What benefits will this provide?

Copper cookware has a reputation for providing excellent temperature control and causing no hotspots, which could be why the website claims that Yoshi Copper Grill Mat will provide the same. But will it?

To gain a better understanding of what you might expect, we’d need to know if Yoshi Copper Grill Mat actually contained any copper—and if so, in what percentage.

This information wasn’t listed on the Yoshi website, so we called Idea Village customer support to learn more. None of the representatives we spoke with were able to provide this information.

Are There Other Grill Mats Available?

In addition to the original version, you’ll also find several other meaningfully similar grill mats online, including the Miracle Grill Mat and Copper Chef Grill Mat.

If ordered online, these products are priced relatively in line with one another, although (like Yoshi Copper) you can often find them available at third-party big box retailers for less.

Functionally, while we didn’t test any of these products ourselves, there appeared to be almost no difference between these mats. Design-wise, only their colors appeared different.

Given these similarities, choosing the right grill mat for your needs might largely come down to price. Also, can you purchase one locally to save on S&H charges, while making the refund process easier if you’re not satisfied?

Together, this could give you the performance you’re looking for, while helping you pay as little as possible.

Are There Any Yoshi Copper Grill Mat Reviews?

Although the Copper version was too new at the time for our research, the original Yoshi Grill and Bake had 50+ reader reviews here on HighYa with an average rating of three stars.

Most compliments seemed to reference solid cooking results, ease of use, and decreased mess/food loss. On the other hand, many complained that it didn’t work as advertised and was lower quality than expected, in additional to less-than-stellar support experiences.

Obviously, since Yoshi Copper didn’t have an online feedback, we’re in no way saying that you’ll experience the same as some of the original version’s customers. Instead, we’re only here to provide the complete picture.

The Bottom Line About Yoshi Copper Grill Mat

Again, we didn’t test Yoshi Copper Grill Mat ourselves. However, the original Grill and Bake Mat seems to come with mostly positive customer feedback, so you might experience much of the same.

And if you don’t, Idea Village stands behind the product with a 30-day money back guarantee. Just keep in mind that you’ll lose the original $3.99 fee for the Grip N’ Flip Spatula, plus whatever they cost to ship back to the manufacturer.

Based on what we learned from the company’s website, as well as customer feedback for the original version, perhaps the most important points to keep in mind are that Yoshi Copper Grill Mat:

Can’t be used around flames,

Has a 500° temperature limit, and

Just like regular nonstick cookware, you should avoid using abrasives or metal utensils, or you’ll risk damaging the PTFE coating.

This means that Yoshi Copper might be ideal for charcoal or wood grills, but only after the flame has died down. On the other hand, gas grills only produce heat using flames, requiring you to heat up the grill, turn it off, and quickly toss on the mat and cook your food before too much heat is lost.

Pro tip: If you were surprised about the 500° limit, it might be easy to understand, considering the Yoshi commercial showed Copper Grill Mat on an open flame when cooking ribs. In fact, the announcer even notes that “your sauces stay on the meat, and out of the flames.”

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Yoshi Copper

I used it a couple of times. There was a lot of charred marks that did not wash off. The meat was grilled very good, and there were grill marks. The second time I used it on the clean side, but when I tried to wash it, it did not clean properly. I looked at other reviews online and they had the same experience. I will have to throw away one mat and use the second one for vegetables only.

Love them

I have used it multiple times on a gas grill and it cooks everything faster. I would recommend it. I take my meat off for the last few minutes to get charred. It cooks veggies super fast and keeps them from falling in the grill. Clean with a magic eraser and most charred black marks come off (not all, but most). What do you expect with grilling?

Mat got black from fat and all burned after bacon!

The mat was used on an iron pan on top of the grill, and the other was on the grill. Once the bacon grease met the grill, all was lost! The grill flame was low as directed, but there was no mention of grease from meat fat. I would not buy because the mats turned black and the color stays. I will attempt to use it once more, but I was not impressed! A fraud commercial or fake advertising news!

Yoshi frying pan

I bought the mat online. Because the product was shipped across an international border, they charged what they called a "processing fee." After they added that charge to the bill, without my knowledge or consent, they converted $US to $Canadian at a very high conversion rate of their choosing. The final bill was $46 Canadian.

Do not do business with these people. The mat works but does not give grill marks. In fact, all the juices collect on the mat, and I had to squeeze it away from the burgers to allow them to cook. Might as well have cooked in a frying pan.

Terrible product

I just used it for the first time. It does not work on gas grills. The burn marks do not come off, so I wasted my money. Do not buy this if you want to use it more than once. Just the worst thing I have bought online.

Lucky, lucky you. I bought one at Bed Bath & Beyond for $9.99. I haven't used it on my grill yet because it says not to use with flames. and then it says directly using it on the grill. How confusing. I don't think they understand their product.